


Training Wheels

by Suphomie



Series: The Experiments [5]
Category: teen wolf - Fandom
Genre: Abuse, Fear, M/M, Past Child Abuse, Toxic Relationships, codependent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-03-06
Packaged: 2018-05-25 00:36:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6173029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Suphomie/pseuds/Suphomie





	Training Wheels

Stiles stares at the white ceiling above him from where he lays on his bed, in his bedroom. It's strange, to have his own bedroom. He's been sharing a room with Theo for so long.

It's been two weeks since he met Scott McCall. Since he left Theo.

He misses him. A lot. Everything's weird and frightening without him. He hasn't come for Stiles yet, which Stiles thought he'd want, but turns out he really wants his bestfriend back.

He knows Theo will come for him. He knows. That's who Theo is. He's possessive, and hates when other people take his things away from him.

After Stiles hit him with his baseball bat, he was petrified of what he'd done. 

He vaguely remembers Scott taking him to the police station after that. He does however remember seeing his dad for the first time in ten years.

He looked different. He looked old. His hair was greying. He put on some weight. It was like he was a stranger.

His father recognized him right away. Must be a parent thing, cause Stiles looks much different now. He looked at Stiles with wide eyes and then pulled him into a really tight hug, that hurt Stiles' rib cage a little bit.

Stiles didn't hug him back. It didn't feel right. 

Everything from there is a blur of police asking questions and crying. Stiles told them the truth- that he was taken from his room when he was ten, and then he'd met Theo.

When they asked if Theo was abusing him, he said no. That they're just a couple. This is his couples act.

That made his dad cry more. Which made Stiles extremely uncomfortable.

Scott did a lot of the talking, whenever Stiles got overwhelmed by the amount of people talking to him at once.

He told him that Theo was going to kill him, and hurt Stiles, and that they had rotten food in their kitchen and that Stiles was starving.

Sometime later, Stiles was home. Not his and Theo's home, his dad's home. 

His bedroom was exactly how he'd left it, full of Star Wars action figures and posters for shitty bands and a Spider-Man bedspread.

Stiles cried a little that night, when he was trying to go to sleep, because he can't sleep alone. His dad also kept coming in every ten minutes to make sure he was doing okay. 

The next week or so was a blur too. Stiles hardly remembers it.

He remembers all the news stories. About the missing ten year old, finally home with his father after ten years. There were people with cameras at his doorstep, and a call from some show that wanted to do a follow up story about it.

All the attention made Stiles anxious. He wanted Theo back. Really, really badly.

He had to see a theripist, which made Stiles feel better. He didn't feel comfortable with his dad, so the lady was really nice and seemed to just understand how much Stiles missed Theo.

He saw Scott a lot. He came over almost everyday, to check up on Stiles. 

Stiles met Scotts pack too. He clicked with a girl named Malia, because Malia went missing when she was eight, and was found when she was seventeen, so she understood how weird everything is.

But the rest of them were okay, too. Stiles hardly spoke to them. Hardly spoke to anyone. 

He's wary of their kindness. You don't get something for nothing in this world, Theo basically engrained that into his head, and he's not providing these people anything, so why would they just be nice to him?

Stiles suspects that they want something from him, he just doesn't know what yet, so he's been distant.

He just didn't feel comfortable in this house, he felt like he was surrounded by complete strangers.

He wanted all of this, he truly did, but he wanted it with Theo. 

He's also kind of afraid of when Theo eventually comes. Because while it'll be great to see him again, and hug him, and kiss him, Theo will probably be mad.

He might hurt Stiles for leaving him. He might even kill him.

But Stiles has higher hopes. Theo will probably be a little angry, but Stiles can calm him down. Or if not, he can endure a beating.

A sound from the first floor of the house catches Stiles attention. 

He realizes it's just a creak, so he lies back down. It's probably just his dad. His dad likes to go to bed pretty late.

His dad is.. Something. He's nice. Kind. But he treats Stiles like he's some stupid child, and while stiles did miss most of his education, he isn't stupid. He not only went to school online, he learned stuff when he was with this dread doctors.

The dread doctors talked to him a lot. They told him old stories about history, and they talked about math, and explained what science they were using.

But, his dad actually seems to believe that Stiles is still ten years old.

The creaks get louder as his father walks up the stairs. Stiles sighs, and rolls onto his side, so he's facing the door.

The footsteps get closer and closer until the handle to Stiles door turns.

This is normal, his dad usually checks on him multiple times a night. Except, when the door creeks open, it's not his dad.

"Theo?" Stiles whispers, immediately sitting up.

Theo's hand is still clutching the doorknob. He looks half relieved, and half furious.

Theo steps into the room and closes the door behind him. He flips on the light switch next to him, and the room exploded with bright light.

"How'd you get in?" Stiles asks.

Theo holds up a note on a post-it note, and says, "you're dad went out. And I ripped off the doorknob."

".. Why did you wait so long?" Stiles asks, because the curiousity has been gnawing at him the whole time.

Theo sighs, while looking at a little yoda doll on Stiles' dresser. "I was really mad when I woke up," he answers, picking up an avengers alarm clock and examining it, "I thought that if I saw I might kill you."

Theo laughs a little at the last part. Stiles doesn't, because he knows that it's probably true.

"I needed some time to cool off." Theo says, putting the clock down and looking to Stiles, whose still sitting on the bed.

"What are you gonna do now?" Stiles asks, standing up. He's wearing flannel pajama pants and a t-shirt Scott lent him.

Theo takes a sniff at the air and then narrows his eyes. "You smell like him."

"Like Scott?" Stiles asks, knowing that he probably does, him and his dad, and maybe even the entire pack.

"Yeah," Theo says, stepping closer. Stiles tries to hardest not to flinch and shrink away. Theo swallows and asks, "Why did you go with him?"

Stiles looks down to the carpeted floor. ".. B-because.. You- you promised that after everything.. We'd get to be free. And then you trapped me in a house for three years."

Theo squints his eyes. "Is that what they told you? That I trapped you?"

Stiles nods. Because, yeah, he might be actually quoting his therapist.

"Stiles, you know that I love you, right?" Theo asks. Stiles nods and looks up. Theo continues, "then you that I never trapped you anywhere. I was just looking out for you- protecting you, from all of this."

"Theo, you lied to me," Stiles says, "about everything."

Theo sighs. "I know, babe, but I swear, I was gonna tell you about everything- about the pack, and what I was doing-"

"Theo, that's not even it," Stiles interrupts, "you told me that monsters were gonna fucking steal me away-"

"And look what happened!" Theo yells, "they took you away from me, and now they're making you think crazy! Do you actually think that these people care about you?!"

Stiles does actually flinch this time. He bites his lip, and shrugs. "They do, Theo."

Theo shakes his head, and takes in a deep breath. "You're wrong," he says, "I'm the only one who loves you, and you'll see that once you're away from them."

Stiles looks up, as Theo says, "Do you have anything you want to pack?"

"... Theo, I'm not gonna leave." Stiles says, voice shaky and weak.

Theo makes a face. "You're choosing them over me?"

Stiles desperately shakes his head, "no, no, Theo, c'mon, of course not. I want you to stay."

Theo's eyes widen, as Stiles says, "we could still be together- I want to be together. We- we could stay here, though."

"No," Theo says, "we're not staying here."

"Theo please," Stiles says, touching his shoulder, "it's good here. People care about me, and they'll care about you too-"

"No, Stiles, they won't!" Theo interrupts, "my parents are dead! You're the only one who has all of this,and they won't let us be together!"

"Then I'll make them-"

"No!" Theo says, "they'll probably try to throw me in some psychiatric facility."

Stiles bites down hard on his lip. "Theo, please, they won't-"

"They will, Stiles, use your head," Theo says, stepping closer, "they don't care about what happens to me- and they don't care about you either. You need me."

"I know Theo, so if I'm staying," Stiles demands, "so are you."

Theo's hand suddenly grabs Stiles' throat, and Stiles gasps for air. "Don't fucking tell me what to do," Theo says.

Stiles claws at his hand, and Theo does eventually release him, after he's about to pass out.

Stiles fall to the floor, gasping for breath, as Theo takes a bunch of long, draw out breaths, like he's trying to calm himself.

"Pack your things," Theo says calmly, stepping away.

"Theo-"

"Stiles, chose- them or me?"

Stiles takes in a breath. He wants Theo, he wants him so bad, but.. He can't go back to that house. To whatever life that was. He just _can't_.

And here's not so bad, compared to that.

Here, his dad makes him pancakes. Here, Scott tells lame joke in an attempt to make him laugh, which Stiles usually does at some point. Here, Malia and Lydia come over at nine am to take him clothes shopping. Here, if he has a bad dream, he doesn't have Theo, but he has his dad, and for some reason his dad knows how to make him feel better. 

So maybe here isn't all bad. And it's so much better than being trapped in a house all day, starving and scared and hating his life.

He wants both. He wants all this, and Theo, and God, does he fucking want Theo. But if he has to chose..

"Them," Stiles says, standing up.

Theo's face flushes with heart break. His hands extend to claws at his side. "After everything," he says, voice nearly a growl, "after I've taken care of you since we were ten years old- after I've done everything I could to make you happy.. You're choosing them?"

Stiles doesn't cry, he hasn't since he was young, but he can't help it right now. 

He never thought he'd have to make a decision like this before. He always just assumed that him and Theo would be together forever.

A tear rolls down his cheek. ".. I'm sorry," he whispers, so low that he doesn't know if Theo heard him or not.

Theo's face morphs into a his wolf form, and his eyes glow bright yellow. Stiles' breath catches. 

Theo growls and knocks over the dresser, making everything on top shatter to the ground. He rips the posters off the wall, and Stiles just slides to the ground, and pulls his knees to his chest. He knows that the only way to avoid getting hurt when Theo gets like this is to make yourself small and try to stay out of his way.

It's takes a while before Theo is done. He knocks everything over, and rips the walls with his claws, and stomps his feet, like he's having tantrum.

But when he finally just stops and stands in the middle of the room, panting, and looking over what he's done, Stiles knows he's finished.

Theo takes in a deep breath, and says, "I can't live without you."

"Then stay." Stiles says back.

Theo shakes his head. "They won't let us be together, Stiles, you know that."

"Fine," Stiles says, standing, "if they won't, then I'll go with you."

Theo's face lights up with something like hope. Stiles bites his lip and says, "but you have to give it a little time."

"I'll give it a week," Theo says, calm now that he's got what he wants, then takes Stiles' hands and says, "but if you don't come with me, I swear to god, I'll kill you."

Stiles nods, because he knows it's true.

Theo pulls him into a tight hug, and Stiles can't help but hug back. "I love you," Theo whispers.

Stiles closes his eyes. One day, he'll stop indulging Theo's every wish.

One day.

"I love you too."


End file.
